Nurse consultants usually work on the clinical or legal sides in hospitals, physicians' offices and insurance companies. Clinical nurse consultants often work from home, advising patients on treatments for injuries, accidents, overdoses and whether immediate hospital care is necessary. Legal nurse consultants ensure their employers are in compliance with medical, insurance and billing practices. Nurse consultants earn wages averaging more than $30 per hour.

Salary and Qualifications

The average annual salary for a nurse consultant was $63,000 as of 2013, according to the job site Simply Hired. This equates to $30.29 per hour, based on a 40-hour workweek. The minimum requirements for this job are an associate degree in nursing and 1 or more years of nursing experience. Many employers may prefer hiring those with bachelor's degrees. Nurse consultants usually train for several weeks on computer systems and answering patients' calls by telephone. Sirona Health's training program for nurse consultants takes 3 weeks to complete, for example. Other essential qualifications for this position are an attention to detail, patience and communication, critical thinking, communication and multitasking skills.

Salary by Region

In 2013, average hourly wages for nurse consultants varied the most within the South, according to Simply Hired, where they earned the highest wages of $48.08 in Washington, D.C. and lowest of $23.56 in Mississippi. Those in the West made $25.52 to $34.61 in Montana and California, respectively. These consultants earned $27.40 to $37.02 per hour in Maine and Massachusetts, which were the lowest and highest wages in the Northeast region. In the Midwest, they earned the least in South Dakota and most in Minnesota -- $23.56 and $32.21, respectively.

Contributing Factors

A nurse consultant may earn more in industries where registered nurses earn higher wages. For example, registered nurses earned the relatively high wages of $35.39 per hour working for specialty hospitals, such as substance abuse, cancer or cardiac units, according to May 2012 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They also made the above-average wages of $34.23 at outpatient centers. Nurse consultants may also earn more working for specialty hospitals and outpatient centers because they are also registered nurses. They earn more in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., because living costs are higher in that state and district. A nurse consultant who earns $65,000, or $31.25 per hour, in Lexington, Kentucky, would need to make $49.15 in Boston and $50.30 in Washington, D.C., to maintain her living standard, according to CNN Money's Cost of Living calculator.

Job Outlook

The BLS doesn't forecast jobs for nurse consultants. It projects a 26-percent increase in jobs for registered nurses from 2010 to 2020, which is faster than the 14-percent national hiring rate for all occupations. An aging population may increase jobs for both registered nurses and nurse consultants, as more seniors will require medical care and advice in the next decade. Outpatient centers may hire at a faster pace because they are conducting more procedures due to advances in technology.